It has to be mentioned that this paper mainly deals with the Present Perfect Simple because otherwise this topic would have become too complex. Furthermore, the present perfect is not always used the same way in British and American English. In the current paper, however, the used examples represent British Standard English. It will be shown that the Present Perfect is a problematic tense to learn and to teach because it has so many notions and uses.
It will be proved that a major difficulty in learning this tense arises from the interference from the learner‘s mother tongue. As far as teaching is concerned, when introducing a new piece of grammar we always have to teach not only the form, but also its functions, and not only meaning but also use. Therefore, teaching the present perfect is quite a difficult task.
This paper will also discuss critical questions teachers should ask themselves and the various notions and uses of the present perfect in detail, providing at the same time possible ways of teaching them with quoted activities from different coursebooks.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Interference from the mother tongue
3. How can the present perfect be teached?
3.1. Rules of thumb
3.2. Different Approaches to teaching the present perfect
4. Grammar spot
5. Different Notions of the present perfect tense – Activities to practice them – Critical comments
5.1. Experiences
5.2. Present Result
5.3. Recent Actions/Events
5.3.1. A mistaken idea
5.4. Unfinished Past/Duration
5.5. Indefinite Time
6. Contrasting Present Perfect – Past Simple
7. Conclusion
Objectives and Research Themes
This paper examines why the Present Perfect Simple is considered a challenging tense for both learners and teachers, focusing on the interference of the mother tongue and the complexity of its diverse functional applications. It aims to provide teachers with effective pedagogical strategies, communicative activities, and critical reflections on how to present this grammar point more successfully in the classroom.
- The role of interference from the learner's mother tongue in language acquisition.
- Pedagogical strategies for teaching the Present Perfect, including inductive vs. deductive approaches.
- Functional notions of the tense: Experience, Present Result, Recent Events, Duration, and Indefinite Time.
- The effective use of visual aids, cartoons, and authentic text study in grammar teaching.
- Critical evaluation of common teaching methods and pitfalls in existing coursebooks.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1. Rules of thumb
According to Colin Mahoney (Internet), a good rule of thumb is, for example, that the present perfect is used with time adverbs that describe a time period which is unfinished (eg today, this week, ...). This is questionable, because wether a time adverb describes a finished or unfinished period of time often depends on the context. Thus, teachers should be unafraid of contrasting difficult examples such as (Hoffmann/Schmidt 53):
a) I did not look at the paper this morning. (“morning” is already over)
b) I haven’t looked at the paper this morning. (“morning” is not yet over, I can still look at the paper this morning)
Certainly the learners should be told that if we have a clear time indicator of past time such as yesterday, last year or five years ago, we tend to use past tense and not the present perfect:
*I have seen him yesterday. I saw him yesterday (keyword: yesterday)
Another rule of thumb in this context is that the present perfect is used with certain key words such as ever, never, just, always. Although this is frequently true, learners might encounter sentences as these: Did you ever hear of such a thing?/ I never spoke to her in my life. (Hoffmann/Schmidt 53). Thus, the first example expresses a more objective attitude of the speaker, who distances himself from the “thing” he talks about, while the second example might mean that the person the speaker refers to is already dead. Therefore the appropriate context is again vital for the use of the tenses. This is why teachers must stress the general meaning of the present perfect, namely that it is used to talk about events that have just been completed or events that started in the past and reach up to the present (and may go on in the future) or whose results are still felt in the present.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the scope of the paper, specifically the focus on British Standard English, and highlights the difficulties regarding the many notions and uses of the Present Perfect.
2. Interference from the mother tongue: Discusses how native language influence, particularly for German speakers, leads to misuse of the Present Perfect by confusing it with simple past or present tense structures.
3. How can the present perfect be teached?: Evaluates pedagogical strategies such as rules of thumb and inductive approaches for introducing complex grammar to learners.
4. Grammar spot: Provides a consolidated summary of the various notions of the Present Perfect, emphasizing the underlying connection between past and present.
5. Different Notions of the present perfect tense – Activities to practice them – Critical comments: Explores specific functional applications of the tense through communicative activities, cartoons, and critical review of textbook examples.
6. Contrasting Present Perfect – Past Simple: Addresses the necessity of teaching the tense in contrast to the Past Simple to help learners grasp the nuance of context and speaker perspective.
7. Conclusion: Summarizes the key findings, reiterating the importance of teaching grammar through context rather than oversimplified rules.
Keywords
Present Perfect Simple, English Grammar, Language Acquisition, Mother Tongue Interference, Pedagogical Strategies, Inductive Approach, Grammar Exercises, Communicative Tasks, Contextual Learning, Tense Comparison, Teaching Methodology, Foreign Language Teaching, Language Learning Difficulties.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper explores why the Present Perfect Simple is a particularly difficult tense to teach and learn, highlighting the complexity of its diverse meanings and common pitfalls for students, especially those with German as their first language.
What are the main thematic areas covered in the study?
Key areas include the role of native language interference, teaching strategies, the functional notions of the tense (such as experience and duration), and the use of authentic materials like cartoons and text studies in the classroom.
What is the author's primary research goal?
The objective is to provide teachers with a critical understanding of the Present Perfect and to suggest effective, communicative methods to introduce and practice the tense in an ESL environment.
Which methodology does the author advocate for teaching grammar?
The author favors an approach that emphasizes meaning and context over hard-and-fast rules, suggesting that teachers should use authentic tasks and encourage students to discover rules inductively rather than relying on oversimplified guidelines.
What topics are addressed in the main section of the paper?
The main section covers specific notions of the Present Perfect (Experiences, Present Result, Recent Actions, Unfinished Past, and Indefinite Time) and provides critiques of how these are typically presented in existing educational coursebooks.
Which keywords best describe this research?
Relevant keywords include Present Perfect Simple, pedagogical strategies, mother tongue interference, communicative activities, and contextual grammar learning.
How does the author view the use of "rules of thumb" in teaching?
The author acknowledges that rules of thumb can be helpful for lower-level learners but warns that they should not be considered absolute, as they often lead to confusion when learners encounter exceptions in real-world English.
Why does the author consider the contrast between Present Perfect and Past Simple so important?
The author argues that learners often struggle to know when to switch between these tenses; therefore, contrasting them in appropriate contexts is essential for understanding the subjective perspective of the speaker and the relevance of the action to the present.
- Quote paper
- Cornelia Gitterle (Author), 2003, Why is the Present Perfect such a problematic tense?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/39830
